A strong area of high pressure over the Beaufort Sea combined with a strong area of low pressure in the Bering Sea caused strong easterly winds to develop over the North Slope of Alaska.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.
A strong area of high pressure over the Beaufort Sea combined with a strong area of low pressure in the Bering Sea caused strong easterly winds to develop over the North Slope of Alaska.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 1, 1:47 PM AKST, 7 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
147 PM AKST Sun Jan 1 2023
.SYNOPSIS...Winds will be the primary weather concern over the
next couple days, with some snow in the Alaska Range, mainly north
of the Yukon River along the south slopes of the Brooks Range,
and developing on the West Coast by late Monday. Areas of blowing
snow will create ground blizzards along, and near the Arctic Coast
east of Utqiagvik. Gusty winds will continue for the Delta
Junction area as well, diminishing through the day Monday, but
still gusty. Temperatures will remain near or above climatological
normals.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Models...01/12Z solutions show good agreement with the primary
feature, the long wave troughing to the west, but they diverge on
location and timing of shortwaves as they move north over the
state. Solutions handling the stronger winds well, so will lean
toward the stronger solutions, NAM and Canadian, for the near
term. Lots of disagreement in the solutions concerning
precipitation, so will lean on a blend of the Canadian, NAM,
ECMWF, and SREF as they are most similar. Temperatures warming,
but not as much as we have for tonight in the grids so we will
need to lower them for Fairbanks and vicinity.
Aloft...At 500 hpa...A 511 dam low has moved over the Western
Arctic 200 nm north of Wainwright, while weak ridging is holding
on over the Eastern Arctic and plains extending southwest to a 516
dam high over the Gulf of Anadyr. Ridging continues to push west
over the AlCan Border, while broad cyclonic flow around a 498 dam
low over Chirikof Island, just southwest of Kodiak Island, has
pushed northeast over the Gulf of Alaska, and the Interior west of
Chicken and south of the Brooks Range. Monday morning the low in
the Arctic will be 300 nm north of Point Lay, while the weak
ridging over the plains will shift north offshore, and ridging
holds over the Beaufort Sea. Ridging over the AlCan will shift
east a bit as the lower heights associated with the low push
northeast as the low moves over Kodiak City at 500 dam. A 501 dam
low will move over Cold Bay. The ridging over the Gulf of Anadyr
will shift west with a 515 dam high over the coast, and a 517 dam
high will develop and move over Wrangel Island. Lower heights will
continue to push north and east over the state as the high in the
Arctic slides north. The low over Kodiak City will move over Cook
Inlet at 504 dam, while the low over Cold Bay moves over Sand
Point at 502 dam. A 510 dam low will develop over the Western
Interior and move over Kiana, while a 506 dam low will be
developing over Norton Sound. At 850 hpa...-10C isotherm is in the
vicinity of the Brooks Range with a few pockets of temperatures
above 0C pushing into the Southern Interior and in the southwest
mainland.
Surface...Low pressure extends from the North Pacific into the
Arctic with a 959 mb low near Chirikof Island, and a 971 mb low in
upper Cook Inlet. Weak high pressure continues to push southeast
across the Chukotsk Peninsula to the Bering Strait. Pressure
gradient has tightened up across the Northeast Interior and in the
Upper Tanana Valley. Not a lot of change as 967 mb low moves to
Kodiak City Monday morning, and a 990 mb low remains in the
Eastern Arctic Plain. Monday afternoon the low will be over
Dillingham at 975 mb, with a 991 mb low in the Arctic Plain. The
pressure gradient across most of the state will weaken, but
leeside troughing developing north of the Alaska Range will
combine with high pressure pushing west into the Copper River
Basin to tighten the gradient across the Alaska Range.
Arctic Coast and Brooks Range...Blizzard conditions developing
east of Deadhorse this evening with near Blizzard conditions
developing east of Utqiagvik to Deadhorse. Visibility will be
reduce to near zero at times and travel will be difficult. West of
Utqiagvik it will be mostly cloudy with lighter winds. Winds
along the coast east of Deadhorse increasing to east at 25 to 40
mph gusting around 50 mph, Winds east of Utqiagvik to Deadhorse
east at 15 to 30 mph gusting around 40 mph, and winds from
Utqiagvik west northeast 15 to 25 mph. Inland winds mainly north 5
to 10 mph. Winds will diminish across the area late Monday. Low
temperatures tonight and Monday night in the Single digits below
to around 20 below. High temperatures Monday will range from the
single digits below to around 10 above.
West Coast and Western Interior...A mix of clouds and light snow
or flurries. Heaviest snowfall in the Middle Koyukuk and Upper
Kobuk with up to 3 inches of accumulation. Lingering light snow or
flurries in the Upper Kobuk with up to one inch of accumulation.
Winds variable to 10 mph inland, with mainly northwest to north
winds 25 to 45 mph gusting near 60 mph on the outer coast, capes,
and St Lawrence Island. Low temperatures tonight and Monday night
will range from around 10 below to around 10 above. High
temperatures Monday will range from the single digits above to the
teens above.
Central and Eastern Interior...A mix of clouds with snow mainly
north of the Yukon River, and in the Alaska Range. Up to 4 inches
of snow along the south slopes of the Brooks Range and in the
Alaska Range south of Trims Camp. Winds northeast to 10 mph in
most valley locations, while winds on the summits in the Interior
will increase to 10 to 25 mph and gusty, and around Delta Junction
where the Tanana Valley Jet continues to blow winds will be 25 to
40 mph gusting around 50 mph this evening diminishing to 20 to 30
mph gusting around 40 mph Monday morning. Low temperatures
tonight and Monday night will range from single digits below to
around 20 above. Fairbanks and vicinity lows will be in the zero
to 10 above range. High temperatures Monday will range from the
single digits above to around 30 above in the Alaska Range with
temperatures around Fairbanks in the teens above.
Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None.
Extended forecast for days 4 to 7...Weak high pressure across the
northeast half of mainland Alaska with broad weakening low
pressure to the southwest. Some snow along the West Coast but
nothing significant. Tanana Valley Jet winds will continue on and
off gusting near 50 mph at times. Temperatures above
climatological normals early then cooling near normals next
weekend.
&&
.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ213.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ219-221.
Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ203.
Wind Advisory for AKZ223.
Blizzard Warning for AKZ204.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ200.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ201-225.
Gale Warning for PKZ210.
Gale Warning for PKZ220.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ230.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ235.
Gale Warning for PKZ240.
Gale Warning for PKZ245.
&&
SDB JAN 232 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions developed at Barter Island on the morning of the 1st and lasted into early in the day on the 2nd. Barter Island saw wind gusts as high as 55 mph from the southeast during this event.
Strong east winds brought blizzard conditions to Point Hope. Blizzard conditions lasted from the evening of the 1st through early in the morning of the second. Blowing snow continued during the day on the second, with several periods where the visibility dropped below one quarter mile briefly. Winds at Point Hope gusted as high as 45 mph during this event.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alaska in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2023
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1078854, 1078871.